Charles Evers dead – Civil rights hero and brother of assassinated Medgar Evers dies aged 97
CHARLES Evers, the older brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers and a longtime figure in Mississippi politics, died Wednesday age 97.
The civil rights hero died of "natural causes" at a home in the Jackson suburb of Brandon in Mississippi, where he was surrounded by relatives, reports said.
News of Evers' death came just days after civil rights icon
Charles and Medgar Evers both served in the military during World War II, and they became active in the NAACP when they returned to their home state of Mississippi and continued to face discrimination.
Medgar Evers had been field secretary for the Mississippi NAACP for more than eight years when he was assassinated outside his Jackson home in June 1963.
A Mississippi Blues Trail marker commemorates his career as a concert promoter with blues legend B.B. King, and it notes that Evers was once in the bootleg liquor business.
Republican Senator Roger Wicker of said in a statement on Wednesday that Evers was one of his favorite people, with a career that "covered the spectrum from his roguish youth to a respected civil rights leader, mayor, businessman and radio host."
"Charles Evers was never afraid to challenge the accepted norms or fly in the face of political correctness," Wicker said. "As an elected official, he navigated the circuitous route from Freedom Democrat to Independent to Republican.
He ran as an independent for Mississippi governor in 1971 and for a US Senate seat in 1978.
Although he lost those elections, Evers influenced the outcome of the Senate race by drawing support away from the Democratic candidate.
Then, after the 2016 presidential election, Evers cast one of Mississippi’s six electoral votes for .
"I am deeply saddened by the loss of my friend Charles Evers," Trump wrote.
"Charles was a trail blazer in politics and a fearless leader, alongside his brother Medgar, for Civil Rights."
On the day Evers cast the electoral vote for Trump, he described himself as an "independent Republican."
"I'm a great believer in earning something. Democrats always want to give away something," Evers said after the electors voted.
He said he is a longtime supporter of Trump.
"He's a multimillionaire," Evers said. "I like rich folks. Can't nobody buy him."